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Galium aparine
L.
This annual plant with an originally Eurasian distribution has now become
almost cosmopolitan in the temperate zones of the Globe, and is present in all
regions of Italy. It grows in ruderal vegetation, at the edge of hedges and
thickets, in disturbed and cultivated land, especially in hot and arid sites, where
it often forms dense tangles, on soils rich in nitrogen compounds, from sea level
to the lower montane belt. The species is sporadic on the edge of the Sardinian
temporary ponds, in contact with ruderal vegetation. The plant is edible after
cooking, and is still used in herbal medicine for different properties. The genus
name derives from the Greek 'gala' (milk), which is also related to the Italian
'caglio' (rennet): different species were used to curdle milk in cheese-making;
the species name, already in use by the ancient Greeks, derives from the verb 'aparein' (to attach) alluding to the hooked
teeth present on stems, leaves and fruits, which can be easily fixed to clothes, or to the hairs of animals. Flowering
period: March to September.
Galium debile
Desv.
This species with a broadly Mediterranean distribution is present in almost all
regions of Italy (missing only in Piedmont, Valle d'Aosta, Trentino-Alto Adige
and perhaps in Umbria). It grows in peaty meadows and sedge communities on
the banks of ponds and bogs, on moist soil that is periodically flooded, from sea
level to the lower montane belt. The species is sporadic on the edge of the
Sardinian temporary ponds, in contact with mesic grasslands. The genus name
derives from the Greek 'gala' (milk), which is also related to the Italian 'caglio'
(rennet): different species were used to curdle milk in cheese-making; the
species name, that in Latin means 'weak', refers to the general frailty of the
plant. Flowering period: May to July.
Galium palustre
L. subsp.
palustre
This species with a wide Eurasian distribution is present in all regions of Italy;
the nominal subspecies is found in north-central Italy except in Piedmont,
Tuscany and Lazio. It grows in marshy reed vegetation along the banks of
canals and ponds, or in wet meadows, on silty-clayey to peaty, sometimes
flooded soils which are rich in bases and nitrogen compounds, from sea level to
the montane belt. The species is common in the central and intermediate belts of
the Sardinian temporary ponds. The genus name derives from the Greek 'gala'
(milk), which is also related to the Italian 'caglio' (rennet): different species were
used to curdle milk in cheese-making; the species name refers to the habitat.
Flowering period: May to July.
Galium parisiense
L.
This annual plant with a broadly Mediterranean distribution is present in all
regions of Italy, but is more frequent in Central and Southern Italy. It grows in
dry grasslands and in openings of garrigue vegetation, from sea level to the
lower montane belt. The species is sporadic on the edge of the Sardinian
temporary ponds, in contact with dry grasslands and garrigue vegetation. The
genus name derives from the Greek 'gala' (milk), which is also related to the
Italian 'caglio' (rennet): different species were used to curdle milk in cheese-
making; the species name refers to the city of Paris. Flowering period: April to
June.
Galium verrucosum
Huds. subsp.
verrucosum
This annual species with a strictly Mediterranean distribution is present, with
two subspecies, in Liguria and in all the regions of Central and Southern Italy,
except in Umbria. It grows in disturbed habitats like uncultivated grasslands and
fields, on soils that are arid in summer, from sea level to about 800 m. The
species is sporadic on the edge of the Sardinian temporary ponds. The genus
name derives from the Greek 'gala' (milk), which is also related to the Italian
'caglio' (rennet): different species were used to curdle milk in cheese-making;
the species name refers to the fruit, that is covered with large warts. Flowering
period: January to May.
